The Portland daily press., 1887-11-28
VICTORY FOR THE "ANTIs.,
Prohibition In Atlanta Defeated After
a Lively Campaign.

ATLANTA. Ga, Nov. 26.-After the most
heated contest on record in the State Of
Georgia, Atlanta today voted against prohi-
bition by over 1000 majority. The fight has
been peculiarly bitter one. The Piedmont
exposition did not close until the 22d of Oc-
tober. and both sides agreed that during the
progress of the exposition nothing whatever
should be done by either side, as it would
mar the unity of the citizens in their enthu-
siastic support of the exposition. This over,
both sides plunged into the fight with WON
derful activity. In two days after the expo
sition had been closed. the fight was on the
city in all its fury, and excited more interest
and activity than had ever been shown in
campaign before in this city. For over
month the citizens have been engaged in the
contest. Meetings have been held almost
every night, and local speakers and foreign
statesmen have stumped the county from al
most every curbstone in the city and every
crossroads in the county.
Early in the campaign the Prohibitionists
fitted it up with seating capacity for 5000
people. Almost nightly that building has
been filled, and such scenes of wild enthusi-
asm are rarely witnessed. Among the prom
inent prohibition speakers who plunged fear
lessly into the fight early in the campaign
was u ulLtu otdbtS CtudbUI OUlquitt anu ilons
III. w. Grady. These were assisted by, al,
most every minister in the city.wh preached
prohibition from their pulpits Sunday after
Sunday, to deeply interested congregations.
Prominent among the preachers who led the tn
prohibition fight in Atlanta were Drs. j. w.
Hawthorne, 81. c. Morrison and J. W. Lee.
These three ministers entered into the fight
with wonderful zeal, spoke night after night
and in almost every precinct in the county,
The most prominent leaders OF the Ants
II
Howell, and Capt John Fl. Goodwin. Both
sides had full campaign funds, and managed
their respective causes for all they were
worth. The negro vote was the bone OF con-
tention, and was the balance OF power. Each
side made the most strenuous endeavors to
groes were considerably divided on the sub
ject, though a majority Of them voted with
the ti-Prohibitionists.
One of the features Of the contest has
been the active part taken by many women
lied committees from among their female
members, who took an active part in the
campaign. They organized the women of
the colored churches into societies, and met
with them and prayed With them day after
TODAY by the appearance Of large numbers of
women at the polls with blue badges. They
served hot coffee and sandwiches at every
polling place, and conducted prayer meet
fngs and singing crusades in the open air.
Fulton county, in which Atlanta is located,
voted two years ago on the same question,
and went for prohibition by majority of
22s out of about S00e votes. The registra-
tion this time exceeds that of last year by
2oOO. and this excess gave the doubtful fig
ures for either side to estimate ON during the
campaign.
The principal fight made on prohibition
during the campaign was that it did not pro-
hibit. and that Intoxicating drinks could be
openiy purchased in a number of places
throughout the city which paid taxes to the
limited States Government for the sale of
whiskey. Thousands of gallons have been
sent in each month from cities around At
lanta- from which 1t was almost as easy to
get a lug as it was at bars in the city.
The Ants claimed that prohibition injured
the city. which was yielding $4,000 a year in
whiskey licenses, without decreasing In the
Slightest the amount of whiskey sold in the
citv, The Prohibitionists, on the other napd
claimed that Atlanta had never had prohibi-
tion. that while it was so voted two wears
ago. the licenses then existing did not ex-
pfre. some of them, until almost a year ago,
and that since that time the domestic wine
clause in the local option bill allowed many
places to sell, by which the law could be
easily eyaded. This was, however. RENE.
died by the last legislature, which put a
license of $4,000 on all wine rooms, which
license will go into effect after Jan. lst The
Prohibitionists claimed that with wine
rooms out of the city, there would be ne
| places for the easy evasion of the law, IL of.
| ficers would properly enforce it.